Will Smith Will Don Super-Anti-Hero Tights to Play Deadshot in 'Suicide Squad'

Announced this afternoon, Will Smith is definitely going to star alongside Tom Hardy in one of Warner Bros’ recently announced planned DC comic book adaptations – “Suicide Squad” – which will be directed by David Ayers.

The series follows a group of super-villains who are forced to go on covert missions for a shadowy government agency, in exchange for commuted sentences.

Margot Robbie (who co-stars with Will Smith in the upcoming con-man/con-woman romantic-dramedy “Focus”) is also on board, with Jared, Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne also joining the cast.

We also can now confirm that Will Smith will be the character known as Deadshot (image above), who’s described as one of the world’s finest assassins, well-known for his expert shot and near perfect track record, according to the Suicide Squad wiki. Apparently, his main nemesis is Batman, and has been a core member of both the Suicide Squad and the Secret Six. His real name is Floyd Lawton. With an unsuccessful campaign as an assassin because of Batman, Deadshot remained imprisoned until he was given an offer that he personally couldn’t refuse – Amanda Waller asked him to join the Suicide Squad. He also has an infamous “death wish.” He simply does not care whether he lives or dies, and thus has little care for any other human life; he’s willing to kill as long as he gets paid.

It certainly sounds like an atypical role for Will Smith, who usually goes for more likable, good-natured heroes. It’s also rare that he’s part of an ensemble cast, so I’m really curious to learn what his motivations might be here.

WB plans to release the movie 2016.

I should mention that, according to the DC Comics wiki, there has been more than one variation of the Suicide Squad. The squad that we have written about on S&A, and that apparently has been (or will be) featured in the CW TV series “Arrow,” which is based on the chronicles of the DC Comics superhero Green Arrow, is led by the aforementioned Amanda Waller, who you might remember as the character Angela Bassett played in the “Green Lantern” movie. On the “Arrow” TV series, Waller is being played by the younger Cynthia Addai-Robinson. She’s joined by Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger as played by Michael Jai White.

Jared Leto is playing The Joker; Tom Hardy is Rick Flagg; Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn; Jai Courtney is Boomerang and Cara Delevinge is Enchantress.

I’ll defer to those of you who are DC Comics pros to ruminate on this news and share your thoughts.

No word on whether this version of the Squad will also include Amanda Waller; if it will, then it’s a role for a black actress to play.

This “Suicide Squad” feature film is just one on a slate of at least 10 comic book movie adaptations Warner Bros announced earlier this week, which the studio will release from 2016 through 2020, that expands the DC comics universe of characters.